Red Bull should be ashamed of Verstappen's elimination

During winter testing, everyone was convinced there was once again a clear top four. The same top four that had led the way in Formula 1 in recent years. That wasn’t a strange thought either, because with the staff on hand and the finances and resources available at a top team, they should certainly rise to the top again after a rule change.

Red Bull still has the finances and resources, but the technical staff has failed badly. In recent years, more and more people have left the team. That did not seem to be an issue for a long time, with 2025 even bringing a major comeback that nearly delivered Verstappen a fifth consecutive world title.

In 2026, however, Red Bull Racing has sunk deep. After two Grands Prix it has as many points as its sister team Racing Bulls, fewer points than Haas, and Pierre Gasly in his Alpine has already scored more points than both Red Bull drivers. Red Bull is no longer a top team, but a simple midfield runner.

That Verstappen is eliminated in Q2 of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix is no longer a surprise. Isack Hadjar did make it through to Q3, but the gaps were small. Incidentally, the Frenchman was also beaten in Q3 by Gasly’s Alpine.

Racing Bulls, Alpine, and certainly Haas are much smaller organizations than Red Bull Racing. Teams with tighter budgets, far fewer resources at their disposal, and normally also less experienced staff on the payroll. If employees at those teams perform above average, they get picked up by a bigger team.

It appears that Red Bull Racing has fallen asleep at the wheel in this regard. Adrian Newey has departed, and earlier this year chief designer Craig Skinner followed. The technical team, led by Pierre Waché, does not seem capable of absorbing these losses. After years at the top, Red Bull has now fallen significantly behind.

The last time Red Bull fell back this far was when Max Verstappen was still driving for Toro Rosso. Back then, Red Bull also went through a weaker period. At the time, Adrian Newey later admitted he had checked out, because with the Renault engine they were hopeless for success anyway. That is not the case now.

The Red Bull Ford may not be the best engine, but it’s certainly not the worst either. Racing Bulls, with the same engine and far fewer resources at its disposal, can take the fight to Red Bull Racing. That is the clearest signal that something is plainly wrong at Red Bull Racing and that something needs to change very quickly.

In 2014, Red Bull also fell far back with the new regulations. Back then, the engine could be blamed and everyone understood Sebastian Vettel wanting to move to Ferrari. In 2026, Red Bull finds itself in a similar situation. This time, however, Red Bull cannot blame an external party for the failure. This time it is failing itself.